From the T-link Bracket to Optimum lightning Solution...

[thepeacebullgrunt]

Hi !

Is it possible to install the Lumalink T-Link http://www.lumalink.com/T-Link_bracket.html by just removing then replacing those big radiator Airflow blades ?

In other words Is the Lumalink T-link bracket designed to slide under the Airflow blades or it require permanent removal of this elements with possible warranty coverage issues ? hummm....maybe... I don't know...

[celticus]

I like those big(ish) PIAA lights 3rd picture down on the left but that's about all. The T-Link brackets are way too large for my tastes.

Mark

[thepeacebullgrunt]

Yes maybe too large... or bulky for a BMW front.
but I was just wondering of they were designed to slide under the Radiator Airflow Blades.

[celticus]

It looks as though you would have to remove the airflow blades. That might or might not bring temps up. Seems like they could have made the brackets smaller.

Mark

[deilenberger]

Call Lumalink and ask Brian about the new caliper mounting brackets made specifically for the R12R.

It's a simple bracket that goes between the two caliper bolts, with standoffs to move it out for clearance. The light mounts at the caliper, not in front on an arm. I believe it's the last thing James Gordy and I worked on designing. They can make the hole in it to match whatever light you're going to use - but I'd suggest the TrailTech HID lights - in the spotlight bulb/reflector design. Self-contained HID (also sold by PIAA for 2x as much..)

Mention to Brian if there are any problems/questions - to contact me.

[thepeacebullgrunt]

Hi Don I called a nice gentlemen with a strong southern accent named Randall at Lumalink but I wonder if understood me with my French accent he seems like he did anyway but he is trying to find out if the T-link can be installed with the Airflow blades or not or just how to deal with it without risking warranty issues.

I ride everyday %85 of the time in the city and sometimes at night or day in the "country-side" so I need to see more on the side and in front without blinding other drivers while still being quickly noticed by cars in traffics for my safety... this is why I still hope to find the right HID solution for me rather than Halogen.

Considering my riding habbits which model do you particularly recommend outside from the expensive PIAA line (preferably self contained and easy to install)

Don, in your previous message are you referring to this PIAA page http://www.piaa.com/WhatsNew/WhatsNew.html ?
for example the CROSS COUNTRY LAMP (which seems really similar to the Trailtech) or the 2100 Fog light lamp ?

Any other alternatives ?
that could be installed beside the HID Trailtech, motolight or PIAA.
something affordable, works well, not too heavy or bulky and still look nice
more for city use than all terrain... Fog Light style I guess ? am I right ?

[ka5ysy]

You probably do not want to remove the airfoils on the forks. The problem would be that the front tire creates a dead zone behind it that hinders airflow through the oil cooler, which is not good for an air/oil cooled engine. The airfoil acts like a small wing that turns the air into the area behind the tire and through the radiator.

This is very similar to the situation that Harley had with the radiator placement on the V-Rod. They spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to cool the beast because of the front tire blocking the radiator.

AFAIK the T-link bracket Don is suggesting does not require removal of the airfoils for obvious reasons.

As Don said, the HID lights are outstanding. I just added a set on my RR, and it is outstanding. I did a late night run in a very dark area to see how they worked, and I could literally see about a mile up the roadway without a problem. Easy installation too, with the internal ballasts. No high voltage wiring to deal with.

I would suggest that you order two spotlights rather than a spot and flood. That was my original setup, but the flood bulb has too wide a pattern for useful driving light. The twin spots cover a 30 degree wide area if you set them correctly, and the spill to the sides is useful also.

When you order the lights, also get the wiring harness, which includes a latching relay setup. You will immediately notice that there is a PIAA logo on the switch, so guess who must make the PIAA lights ?

[thepeacebullgrunt]

Thanks ka5ysy !

Do you mean 2 of these ? ---> http://www.trailtech.net/4212-SX.html

Why not 2 of these one ? ---> http://trailtech.net/single_hid_sc4.html is the pattern to wide on this one ?

I repeat I ride %85 of the time throughout Los Angeles and I am afraid to blind drivers but meantimes I really want to see and be seen.

Will also order the Futurvisionhid conversion kit and the Kissan headlight modulator

Mister deilenberger sorry but my English understanding is sometime difficult, I am not English native so If I understand you well the new caliper mounting brackets made specifically for the R12R are NOT what Lumalink website introduce as the T-link bracket, it is something else. Are those new caliper mounting actually visible on the Lumalink website ? or should I ask to Brian at Lumalink ?

Concerning the issue of blinding other drivers in city's Is there anyways to attach around these HID spot some type of hood made of a neutral celluloid film like those they use in cinema to reduce a little the blast for the other driver passing on the other side ?

Thanks anyway for your help guys... thanks a lot.
This forum is great !

PS: ka5ysy which wiring harness ? is it on this page ? ---> http://www.trailtech.net/electrical.html Is it this one ? ---> http://www.trailtech.net/3832-power-cable.html .... Hummm not sure

[deilenberger]

Mister deilenberger sorry but my English understanding is sometime difficult, I am not English native so If I understand you well the new caliper mounting brackets made specifically for the R12R are NOT what Lumalink website introduce as the T-link bracket, it is something else. Are those new caliper mounting actually visible on the Lumalink website ? or should I ask to Brian at Lumalink ?

These are not on the website.

I hope Brian knows about them - but it's possible I have the only pair in existance (I was working with Brian's dad James - who unfortunately passed away in the middle of our working on them.) I will post a photo of them tomorrow (Photobucket isn't working well with InternetExplorer 8-Beta at the moment.) I've emailed Brian about this thread so he should pick up on it also.

Don

[ka5ysy]

Do you mean 2 of these ? ---> http://www.trailtech.net/4212-SX.html


Yes, These are the lights I use.. except that I ordered the bright chrome for no particular reason.


I did not try the 4" simply because I wanted a small compact lamp that would look good on the RR. The 4" lamps should do well and probably would make a more rectangular pattern, but I have not used them and cannot give you any information. I may order a set for use on my Chevrolet Tahoe truck to replace some 4" aircraft landing lights I have been using.


On the wiring harness... Those on the trailtech website are not like what I received from Lumalink, where I ordered everything as a package. Since the Trailtech lamps have internal ballasts, any switch combination will work, so get whatever you think looks good.


Modulators: You may not be aware that HID lamps have a slight delay in starting and getting to full bright operation, so I do not believe you are going to be able to use a modulator on the HID. The stock headlight on the RR is pretty good as it comes from the factory. As far as actually getting car drivers attention, I can assure you that in daylight, the combination of modulator and the HID lamps fully on cannot be missed by most drivers. I have noticed that people mostly wait for me to go by a long way up the street, because they do not know what I am between the flashing main headlight and the blue-white HID lamps burning holes in their eyes !. This is a good thing. Remember that there is the usual 1 percent idiot that will still pull in front of you because he/she is doing everything and anything but watching where they are driving.

[deilenberger]

As promised - the caliper mount brackets by LumaLink:





James assured me the bolts being used exceeded the strength of the bolts BMW used - and the heads were finished to prevent them from rusting. The mount has a hole and recess designed to be used with the shock/rubber mount for the TrailTech lights (both a solid and shock mount is available from them.) I had these lights - which came with the shock mount (but strangely - you have to order the rubber part of the mount separate from the light.. go figure.) James said he'd be providing kits with the shock mount. The light I show is the smaller 11W HID light. If I had it to do over - I'd go with the higher power ones, although these would be fine for conspicuity during the day.

[celticus]

Don, Those are by far the best looking light mounts I have seen for our bikes. The round sleeve or spaceer looking things on the bolts, what are they? Can you explain how these attach?
You CAN buy these from Lumalink or is it TrailTech?

Good job

Mark

[deilenberger]

Don, Those are by far the best looking light mounts I have seen for our bikes. The round sleeve or spaceer looking things on the bolts, what are they? Can you explain how these attach?
You CAN buy these from Lumalink or is it TrailTech?

Good job

Mark

Mark,

These are from LumaLink - but - they can also sell you a complete solution with the TrailTech lights, they are a TrailTech dealer. The spacers go into the recess in the fork leg that the caliper bolts go into.. and they space the plate out just a bit so there is clearance for the nut and the wiring. Luckily - the nut/wiring end up in an area where there is nothing, so it's not a big concern.

These attach by removing the two caliper mounting bolts - and bolting this up with the bolts supplied. I liked these because they are simple and clean looking.

Best,

[celticus]

So, These mounts come from Lumalink and hopefully the owner Brian will remember them?
Don, Do your 11W (too small) lights have the ballasts self contained? You might give me a call if you decide to go with a larger set as I would mainly be going for conspicuity.
It would be hard for me to purchase another set of light mounts after having seen these of yours.

Mark

[deilenberger]

So, These mounts come from Lumalink and hopefully the owner Brian will remember them?

Hopefully. One way to find out.. phone works wonders sometimes.

Don, Do your 11W (too small) lights have the ballasts self contained? You might give me a call if you decide to go with a larger set as I would mainly be going for conspicuity.
It would be hard for me to purchase another set of light mounts after having seen these of yours.

Mark

OK - will let'cha know. The ballasts are self-contained.

[thepeacebullgrunt]

Thanks Don for all those precious informations !

I am in contact with Brian and understood what I was talking about.. ..
he's actually sending many R1200R applications jpg's attachments.

And by the way, what is the advantage of Caliper mounting over Fork mounting ?

Is the conspicuity better when the triangle base is nearer from the headlight than all the way down on the calipers ?

And in term aiming for 2 spot HID what is the best Caliper or Fork location ?

[deilenberger]

Thanks Don for all those precious informations !

I am in contact with Brian and understood what I was talking about.. ..
he's actually sending many R1200R applications jpg's attachments.

And by the way, what is the advantage of Caliper mounting over Fork mounting ?

If you're using the light for conspicuity - the larger triangle is more obvious. Other than that - the higher mounting on the fork sliders seems to give better distance from the light (starts out higher and can be pointed down a bit to avoid blinding people.)

Is the conspicuity better when the triangle base is nearer from the headlight than all the way down on the calipers ?

And in term aiming for 2 spot HID what is the best Caliper or Fork location ?[/b]

Dunno. Haven't mounted the HIDs on my bike yet - and the ones I have are probably not as bright as the Hella FF50's I have on the fork slider mounts.

BTW - please STOP using colored fonts and bold fonts - it makes quoting you a nightmare..

[thepeacebullgrunt]

@ka5ysy---> You got it right ! We are not animals ! is not it ?
Thanks for your informations... I ordered the low beam conversion from futurvisionhid this morning. the 4300K, relay and slim ballast.

@Don---> I never use the quote function, I don't really like its visual on thread, I think its too easy to reply that way and even if I don't like to see it I have never tough asking peoples to stop using it. If I have to quote someone I just copy/paste what I need from his post. I like my bold deep Blue that I use for my text just because it match well the overall graphic design of the r1200r.org forum... the interface allow me to edit or re-edit my post and it is allowed to anyone so ! lets be creative Don just pick your favorite color and ride on !

I spoke with trailtech.com this morning and in order to deal with the blinding effect they recommended to install their Spot HID on the left and their Flood HID on the right. I am not sure if it is really efficient in all situations but it seems to make sense.

I was looking at your caliper mounting picture and still was wondering if the airflow had to be removed or not with those one... or even if the presence of the lights disturbed the air flow itself.

I think I am going to choose the fork mounting option as I wonder if on the freeway, during traffic jam drivers can see the bottom of my bike, but instead most of the time only see the top and headlights area...I guess in spacious environment like country-side roads the caliper mounting might be more conspicuous than the fork mounting in condensed urban environments.

Cheers !

[famousperson]

I would like to thank FredeR1200Ric for starting this thread and everybody else who replied. I, too, was getting confused about lights, with various bits of information on different threads.

[thepeacebullgrunt]

Ride on famousperson !

I wonder if the best auxiliary light for urban riding would not be the Hella that Don use but converted in HID... remain to know where to install the ballast. I am sure there shape and pattern work well for conspicuouty and increase visibility without blinding the whole city around.